The Goat man
Me and my family loved camping so much, Every year we would pack our gear and head out to our favourite camping spot. Every year we visited Yellow Stone Park and camped in the forest near one of the lakes.
I can remember as child, playing in the lake with inflatables, We would spend all afternoon fishing for our dinner but my father also made it a competition to see who would catch the most fish. At night we would be around a campfire and cook smores, tell camp fire tales and sing.
Our gear wasn't like this modern stuff that you can get these days, A RV in which you can camp in comfort, no that was not for us. We enjoyed having a tent where we could listen to the calling of nature. The crickets singing in the tall grass, the owls howling to the light of the moon, the trees swaying in the wind. There was nothing quite like it.
My story is on how one camping trip turned out lives around and scared us so much that we can not even go camping any more. We sold all our camping equipment because of what happened to us all those nights.
It began as it would any other day, We was checking a list we had written to make sure that we had everything we need for the trip. We had everything laid out on the floor of the living room and just checked each other item off as we put it to one side. Tent check, sleeping bags check, food check.
We packed everything we had into our station wagon, but with having so much gear, we had to also put equipment on top of the car on the car rack. We also made checks to the car to ensure the car would make it to yellow stone park safely. The tyres are check, the water and oil levels, the tyre pressure also.
The trip there was a long way, about 3 hours car ride. We also had to prepare for the long trip and so packed a few travel games, things like checkers, snakes and ladders and off course a pack of cards.
Now with everything thing packed and prepared for the long journey, We all got into the car and set off for yellow stone park. As anyone who goes on long journeys can tell you, the journey can be just as good as the camping trip itself.
Travelling along the country roads was just as beautiful as the park itself, field after field, then going through what looked like an orchard but in fact was a forest. And then mountains on one side of yourself or even both sides.
After what was a very long car ride with playing all sorts of games, we finally around at yellow stone park, we if you think we was at the camping spot, then you would be wrong. We still had to drive another 2 miles to get to out location. The park itself was after all a very large park.
So now that we have driven those two extra miles, we are now at our location. We parked up the car and started to unpack our equipment. Although I had been at this location several times, something didn't quite feel right. There was something strange that was happening but I could not put my finger on it, something airy.
I looked around the forest and lake and saw that there was no sign off life, there was no birds singing, there was no sound of the wind blowing through the trees, even the lake looked calm, not a single insect in sight which was very strange.
I didn't think too much into it, maybe it wasn't the right time off day I thought to myself. After everything was unpack, the tent was up and the camp fire was lit, We went down to the lake to catch our dinner. We also had back up food on us just in case we didn't catch anything.
Down at the lake, it seemed everything was going as planned, we had several fish ready to eat and only needed a couple more for the whole family. I looked to the other side of the lake and something caught my eye. I thought I was over hungry and started to hallucinate, What I was seeing was a half man and half goat type creature but I put it out of my mind as I was seeing things due to hunger.
Back at the camp site, we gutted the fish. We cooked the fish old style on sticks over the heat of the fire. I couldn't wait until the fish was done I was so hungry from the trip down here.
That night we sat around the camp fire and told a few stories, but there was something up that night, no crickets, no owls still strange I thought to myself. However what I did hear seemed to be foot steps, we all herd them. The footsteps seemed to come from all around us like something was circling around us gaining knowledge on us.
We went to bed that night, but I can't say that it was a good night. We still herd foot steps all around us. We didn't get to sleep until early that morning.
The next morning, it felt like something had lifted. I could now hear the birds, the trees. It was such a relief for me. Nothing else strange happened that day. Everything was back to normal and it was such a relief for us all.
How ever the next night, Things got strange again and to make things even worse, all the happening got worse too. Stones was not thrown at our tent along with branches, foot steps got louder and strange goat like noises too.
We did however manage to get to sleep, It did take a while with all the noise that was around us. How ever when we stepped outside the tent, We noticed foot prints all over the camp site. They looked like some sort of hoof prints but looking closer, there was no way was it a animal as what ever this creature was, stood on 2 legs.
It got even worse while it was daytime, the noise of someone being out there still hung around, circling us like we was prey. To say the least we was all on edge. Also we still had stones and sticks being thrown at us. Must be kids trying to get us out of here my father said.
Looking around, there was no shoe foot prints but still hoof prints, it was very strange and then I noticed it, a few yards from the camp site, My mind then went back to the time I saw that figure while fishing at the lake.
It came out of hinding from behind a tree and looked me straight in the eyes, Frozen with fear I couldn't do anything. It took a step towards me and now scared for my life. I ran back to the camp site as fast as my legs could carry me.
What's wrong my father asked me as I am gagging for my breath, Once I regained my composure, monster, monster in the trees I said. My family gave me such a look as thought they thought I had been smoking or eating something.
I looked towards where I ran and saw it again, the colour drained from my face, I pointed in that direction and my entire family gasped at was they saw. We all rushed around the camp site gathering out gear, taking down the tent all while this creature kept throwing stuff at us.
The creature seemed to get even angier and started to throw even larger rocks, the rocks kept hitting us, my mother hit in the head and now bleeding. I picked her up and put her in the car.
When almost all our stuff was packed, we got into the car and started to drive out of the area, the strange creature started to chase us and at some speed too. It kept on throwing stuff at us.
We must of left some of our gear there, we wasn't going to collect everything with what was going off. My mother needed a hospital as she was injured too. We all decided not too tell anyone off what happened that night.
Who would ever believe us of a half man and half goat creature which I dubbed the goat man anyway.